System and apparatus for holding freight containers to vehicles and the like

ABSTRACT

System for locating and locking freight containers on vehicles such as freight cars, trailers, trucks, ships decks and the like. A series of loaded containers may be mounted on the vehicle deck, either in alignment with each other or one above the other. The loaded containers are located and retained to the deck by a dome lock accommodating limited vertical movement of the container but relieving the container from shocks and twisting forces of the vehicle deck. Low-height containers are mounted directly on the deck and retained to the deck by dome-centering devices extending upwardly of the deck. Crossbeams extend over the low-height containers and form supports for upper containers. These beams have centering domes thereon mounted at their ends for controlled vertical movement with respect to the deck. In another form of the invention the domes are at opposite sides of the deck and are placed along the deck to take care of containers of various lengths and are mounted on the deck for vertical shifting movement in controlled paths. In still another form the domes are mounted on the lower container, and a second container is supported directly on the lower container.

United States Patent John Bridge 407 S. Dearborn St., Chicago, 111. 60604 [21 Appl. No. 755,677

[22] Filed Aug. 27, 1968 [45] Patented May 25, 1971 [72] Inventor [54] SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR HOLDING FREIGHT CONTAINERS TO VEHICLES AND THE [56] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 3,083,670 4/1963 Harlander et al l05/366(.4)

3,161,150 12/1964 Sable 3,203,361 8/1965 Sh 105/368 3,387,571 6/1968 Matushek et a1. 105/366(.8) 3,410,227 11/1968 Gutridge 105/366(.8)

3,459,326 8/1969 Betjeniann 214/105 Primary ExaminerDrayton E. Hoffman AttorneyHill, Sherman, Meroni, Gross & Simpson ABSTRACT: System for locating and locking freight containers on vehicles such as freight cars, trailers, trucks, ships decks and the like. A series of loaded containers may be mounted on the vehicle deck, either in alignment with each other or one above the other. The loaded containers are located and retained to the deck by a dome lock accommodating limited vertical movement of the container but relieving the container from shocks and twisting forces of the vehicle deck.

Low-height containers are mounted directly on the deck and retained to the deck by dome-centering devices extending upwardly of the deck. Crossbeams extend over the low-height containers and form supports for upper containers. These beams have centering domes thereon mounted at their ends for controlled vertical movement with respect to the deck,

1n another form of the invention the domes are at opposite sides of the deck and are placed along the deck to take care of containers of various lengths and are mounted on the deck for vertical shifting movement in controlled paths.

In still another form the domes are mounted on the lower container, and a second container is supported directly on the lower container.

PATENTED W25 I97! SHEET 2 OF 5 27 INVENTOR JOHN BRIDGE a WATT0RNEYS YQQ PATENTED HAYZS I97| SHEET 6 0F 5 INVENTOR JOHN BRIDGE ATTORNFY M an PATENTEUMAY25I97| 3,580,185

SHEET 5 0F 5 I INVENTOR JOHN BRIDGE BY g zwj :24": ATTORNEYS SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR HOLDING FREIGHT CONTAINERS TO VEHICLES AND THE LIKE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Containers for freight are commonly in the form of trailer bodies, carried by the trailer frame and trucks for the trailer. Such containers are removable from the trailer body and are mounted directly upon a freight vehicle, such as a flatcar or deck of a ship. Where the containers are mounted directly onto the deck of the freight vehicle they are usually rigidly tied down to the deck and upon up-anddown jarring or twisting of the vehicle deck, the freight container will jar and twist with the deck. This causes crystallization and frequent breakage of the relatively light container frame, making it necessary to either rebuild or scrap the container.

SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION The present invention remedies the foregoing deficiencies by providing a simple form of container locating and holddown system for mounting freight containers on vehicle or. ship decks, positively holding the container from backward, forward and sidewise shifting movement, but accommodating controlled vertical movement of the container with respect to the deck to compensate for up-and-down jarring and twisting of the deck. The present invention further makes it possible to mount low-height containers on the vehicle deck in the space usually taken up by the body and truck of the trailer, and to support a standard-height container above the low-height container, and take up no more vertical height than the usual trailer and freight container hitched to the deck of the vehicle. In all instances the containers are free to accommodate upand-down jarring and twisting of the vehicle deck without jarring or twisting the frame of the container.

A principal object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide an improved form of system for locating and locking cle deck without transmitting corresponding twisting forces to the container.

A further object of the invention is to provide a system for tying containers to vehicle decks so arranged that a low-height container may be carried on the deck and a standard-height container may be carried over the low-height container and located and locked to the deck, but mounted for controlledvertical movement with respect to the deck about its opposite ends and sides.

Still another object of the invention is to improve upon the holddown devices for containers on vehicle decks heretofore in use, by utilizing the space usually taken up by the trucks and frames of trailers on vehicle decks, for low-height containers, and by mounting standard-height containers and accommodating both standardand low-height containers to shift vertically to avoidtransferring of the jarring and twisting loads on vehicle frame to the containers.

Still another and important object of the invention is to provide a locating and locking system for freight containers on vehicles in which the locating and locking devices are spaced along a vehicle deck in such a manner that various lengths of containers may be loaded on the vehicle deck without altering the vehicle.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a locating and locking system for locking containers to vehicle decks in which a series of locating and locking devices are spaced along the vehicle deck and are guided for free vertical movement, to avoid jarring, twisting and weaving of the container on the vehicle frame caused by jarring and twisting forces-on the vehicle body. g

These and other objects of the invention will appear from time to time as the following specification proceeds and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS tainer extending over the low container on one-half of the car and moved along the sides of the car on the other half of the car, to accommodate a second container to be loaded onto the car.

FIG. 3 is an end view of the car shown in FIG. 1 showing two containers carried on the car one above the other by solid lines, with the top container broken away and certain parts of the support for the top container broken away and shown in section.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary detail plan view looking down onto a top container with certain parts broken away in order to illustrate the locating and locking means for the container onthe deck of the car.

FIG. 5 is a partial fragmentary transverse sectional view taken substantially along line V-V of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view taken through a support.

for a topcontainer and showing certain details of the support not shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5.

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of a railway Flatcar showing a series of stacked containers on the car with certain portions of the containers broken away in order to show the locating and locking devices on the deck of the car.

FIG. 8 is a view in side elevation of the flat car shown in FIG. 7 with one container removed.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken substantially along line IXIX of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is an end view of the car shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 with part of the lower container broken away and other parts shown in section in order to show certain details of the locating and retaining means for a top container formed as a part of the lower container.

FIG. 11 is a partial fragmentary detail view in side elevation of a standard height freight container with a lifting saddle thereon, showing certain parts of the container broken away in order to illustrate the lifting-latching connection between the saddle and container, as the latches have been released and the saddle is moving vertically way from the container.

FIG. 12 is a partial fragmentary detail view in side elevation of a portion of the saddle shown in FIG. 11 and illustrating the locking means for the lifting latches.

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary detail view of the container and saddle and showing a lifting latch on the saddle coming into latching engagement with the keeper on the container.

FIG. 14 is a view somewhat similar to FIG. 13 but showing the lifting latch in its latched and locked position.

FIG. I5 is a partial fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along line XV-XV of FIG. 14; and

FIG. 16 is a partial fragmentary sectional view taken sub stantially through the corner of a container illustrating a modified form of comer post and keeper arrangement.

In FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 7, 8 and 10 of the drawings, I have shown a railway flatcar having a deck 10. In FIG. 1 dot-anddash lines indicate a low-height container 11 mounted on the deck of the flatcar in end-to-end relation with respect to each other and similar dot-and-dash lines indicate standard-height containers 12 supported above the containers 11. The con- The deck is shown in FIGI2 as having a series of up-- wardly facing locating and .locking devices 13, spaced therealong to extend upwardly into the bottom of the container 11 and locate said container and hold' said container in position on the deck. The locating and locking devices are shown as being in the form of domes, as in my US Pat. No. 3,206,053, but need not be of this particular form. Said locating and locking devices will, however,-be hereinafter termed domes" for convenience in describing the invention. The domes 13 may be fixedly secured to the deck 10 along the longitudinal center thereof and may be engaged by locating blocks 15 recessed in the bottom of the container 11 and extending about the domes 13, holding the container from lateral and longitudinal shifting movement along the deck 10.

Said blocks 15 are generally rectangular in form and have rectangular openings 150 leading therethrough. The blocks and openings, however, may be of any suitable form as long as they will locate the container on the domes 13. Thus, when the container 11 is located by the domes 13 on the deck 10 of the flatcar, said domes will hold the container from lateral and endwise shifting movement along the deck of the car.

Spaced along the deck 10, at opposite sides thereof, is a series of hollow posts l6, braced by gussets 17, extending along the insides thereof (FIGS. 1, 2 and 3). The hollow posts 16 form a support for a transverse beam 18 normally resting on the tops of said posts and mounted on guide shafts 19, extending downwardly along the posts 16 and vertically slidably movable therealong. Removable pins 20 are provided to secure the beam 18 to the guide shafts 19. The guide shafts l9 abut compression springs 21 at their lower ends which bias the shafts upwardly. Heads 22 on the upper ends of said shafts abut the tops of the beams 18. The guide shafts 19 are of sufficient length to retain the container 12 to the car upon up-anddown movement of the beam 18, which may be caused by jarring of the car as going over crossings or switches. Said shafts 19 also have a relatively loose fit in the posts 16 to accommodate twisting movement of the body of the car, as traveling along irregular track, but to avoid transferring the twisting loads to the container.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, eight posts 16 are provided on each side of the car, for supporting each container 12. The posts 16 and beams 18, however, may be so arranged as to efficiently support containers of various lengths, to enable three or more containers to be readily supported on the deck of the flatcar.

Standard size containers are in lengths of IO, 20, 27 and 40 feet. The containers are rectangular in form and usually have doors (not shown) at one or both ends thereof to enable the containers to be loaded and unloaded. Sufficient posts may thus be spaced along the deck 10 to take care of all standardlength containers.

In FIG. 2 I have shown the beams 18 swing to extend parallel to the length of the car to accommodate a container 11 to be placed on the locating domes 13. The beams 18 may then be pivoted over the container and locked in position to support a container 12 thereon.

Each beam 18 has a dome 23 at its transverse center, extending upwardly into the bottom of the container 12 when the container is in position on the beams 18 and engaging an open portion 25 of a retainer block 26. The open portion 25 may be of any suitable form, but is shown in FIG. 4 as rectangular. Each retainer block 26 is mounted on the underside ofa bottom plate 27 of the container 12 in facing channels 29, 29, extending along said bottom plates, and may be welded or otherwise secured in position.

An illustrative form of locking means is shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 as being provided to lock the container 12 to each dome 23. The locking means is shown as comprising a locking rod 30 slidably guided in the bottom of the container and in a retainer block 26, and registering with an aperture 31 extending transversely of the dome 23. The locking means need not necessarily be a pin-and-aperture type of lock, as shown, but may be of various other conventional forms.

As shown in FIG. 3 the lower container 11 is located and held in position by the dome 13 and the block 15 and is free to 'move vertically with respect to the bottom of the car as the car travels over crossovers or rough track and is retained to the domes 13 by the bottom surfaces of the beams 18.

The top container 12 is thus supported on'the transverse beams 18, above the container 11 and in alignment therewith, and is located by and locked to the domes 23. The guide shafts 19, however, permit vertical movement of the container 12 which may be caused by jarring of the car as going over switches and crossovers or irregular track, and avoids the transmission of twisting and jarring forces to the container.

In FIGS. 7, 8, 9 and 10, of the drawings, I have shown a modified form in which the invention may be carried out. In thisform of the invention hollow posts 33, 33 are provided adjacent each cornerof the lower container 11. These hollow posts extend for the height of the container upwardly from an end beam 34 of the container and have guide shafts 35 therein, abutting springs 36 seated in said posts on the beam 34. Domes 37 are mounted on the tops of the guide shafts 35 the bottom containers and are guided for relatively free vertical movement by the guide shafts 19, to reduce jarring and distortion of the top container upon jarring or twisting movement of the car.

FIGS. 7, 8, 9 and 10 also show a series of domes 45 located along each of the side of the car along the deck 10 of the car in aligned relation with respect to each other and at such spacings as to engage within retainer blocks 46 at each corner of the container; The domes 45 may be mounted inside beams 47 of the car and are so located as to take care of containers of various standard lengths, to enable two 40 foot containers, one long container and two short containers to be carried by the same car, or to enable three or more shorter containers to be carried by the same flatcar. The domes 45 are shown in FIG. 9 as being mounted on the upper ends of guide shafts 48 similar to the guide shafts 35 and extending downwardly along posts 49 mounted in side beams 47 of the car and depending therefrom. The posts 49 may be braced by gussets 50 extending along each side thereof and abutting the bottoms of the beams 47 and welded or otherwise secured to said posts and beams. The posts 49 are shown as having plugs 51 closing their bottoms and welded or otherwise secured thereto. The plugs 51 form seats for springs 53, biasing the guide shafts 48 upwardly along the posts 49.

In this form of the invention, low height containers may be carried on the deck of the flatcar and retained in position by the domes 45 locked to the domes by locking rods 55 slidably extending through the retainer blocks 46 and the domes 45. A second container may then be mounted directly on the first container on the domes 37, 37 and locked to said domes. The two containers are thus relatively free to move vertically and to accommodate jarring or twisting of the car and impart a minimum of jarring or twisting forces to the containers.

Standard-height containers may also be mounted directly on the deck 10 of the fiatcar and retained thereto by the domes 45, biased to accommodate jouncing or weaving of the car body without unduly vibrating or twisting the container.

In FIGS. 11 to 16, I have generally shown a container 12 in association with a lifting and lowering saddle 57 coming into lifting engagement with the container, to transfer the container from a truck or trailer to the deck of a flatcar, the deck of a ship and the like. The container 12 and saddle 57 are similar to the container and saddle shown in my companion application Ser. No. 754,316 filed herewith.

The container 12 includes parallel sidewalls 58 having a series of wells 59 recessed within each sidewall and extending upwardly from bottom side beams 60 of the container. As shown in FIGS. 11 through 15, keepers 61 extend laterally of keeper brackets 62 in the wells 59. Each bracket 62 has a bifurcated lower end portion 63, the furcations of which extend along opposite sides of a support bar 64 extending across the well 59, adjacent the upper end thereof, and forming a support for the keeper bracket within the well 59. A sheave 65 is mounted between the furcations of the bifurcated portion of the keeper bracket 62 on a pivot pin 66. A flexible cable 67 is secured at its free ends to the beam 60, forming the cable into a bight portion extending about the sheave 65 and connecting the keeper 61 and keeper bracket 62 to the beam 60, to effect lifting of the container from the bottom thereof, as in my aforementioned companion application. The keeper pin 61 is shown in FIG. as extending through a vertical slot 69 formed in a sideplate 58 of the container 12, to accommodate said keeper to be engaged by an offcenter latch 71, pivoted to the inside of a bracket plate 73, on a pivot pin 74. The bracket plate 73 is shown as extending along the inside of a beam 75 extending along the side of the saddle 57 and as being welded or otherwise secured thereto.

The latch 71 is shown as being an offcenter disclike latch pivoted eccentric of its center on the inside of the bracket plate 73, and as having a rounded striker nose 76 terminating at its inner end portion into a notch or recess 77 conforming thereto, and biased by gravity to come into latching engagement with the keeper 61, as the saddle is lowered over the top of the container 12. The latch 71 has a generally circular periphery extending from the rounded striker nose 76 and has a locking notch 79 recessed therein, adapted to be engaged by a latch dog 80, depending from a rod 81, guided for slidable movement along the inside of the bracket plate 73 on spaced bearing bosses 83, secured to the web of the beam 75 and extending inwardly therefrom.

When the rod 81 is moved to disengage the locking dog 80 from the notch 79, the latch 71 will be positioned by gravity about the axis of the pivot pin 74 into position to come into latching engagement with the keepers 61, and will be cammed thereby to move from the position shown in FIG. 13 to the latching position shown in FIG. 14, as the saddle 57 is lowered to pick up a container 11 or 12. The rod 81 is shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 as slidably extending through the web of an end beam 83 connecting the beams 75 together. Plate portions 84 extend diametrically from the outer end portion of the rod 81 while similar plate portions 85 are spaced inwardly of the plate portions 84 on the inside of the web of the beam 83. The web of the beam 83 has a vertically extending slot 86 therein having a widened central portion generally conforming to the rod 81 and having end portions extending upwardly and downwardly therefrom generally conforming the plate portions 95, as in my companion application.

When it is desired to release the dogs 80 from the notches 79 and accommodate the engagement of and release of the latches 71 upon raising and lowering movement of the saddle 57, the rod 81 is pivoted to register the locking plates 85 with the slot 86 and is moved outwardly to engage the plate portions 85 with the elongated slot 86, to hold the latching dog in its release position. When it is desired to engage the dogs 80 with the notches 79, when the latches 71 are moved into latching engagement with the keepers 61, the rod 81 may be pushed inwardly and turned to bring the latching dogs 80 into registry with and in engagement with the notches 79. In this position of the rod 81 the plate portions 84 and 85 are on opposite sides of the web of the beam 83 and extend transversly of the slot 86 and lock the rod from rectilinear movement with respect to said beam as in my companion application.

The lower containers 11 may be provided with similar keepers to accommodate the saddle 57 to raise and lower the containers 11 or 12 and assure positive latching of the saddle to the container and transfer the forces of lifting and lowering of the container to the bottom side beams of the container.

In FIG. 16, I have partially shown a modified form of container in which a well 88 is formed of channellike structural members 89, forming the comer posts for the container. This form of well and comer post is suitable for heavier containers than the containers in the form of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 11 to 15, in which the container walls are braced by heavier beam structures than is conventional in the United States. It also is suitable for short containers that will not buckle under lifting loads at the opposite ends andbottom of the container.

In FIG. 16 the legs of the channel of the channellike structural member 89 have inwardly extending flanges 90 extending along the outer ends of said legs which terminate in alignment with a slot 91 for a keeper pin 93. The slot 91 opens through the wall of the container as in the form of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 11 to 15.

The keeper pin 93 is mounted on and extends laterally of a bracket 95, slidable along the well 88, and connected with the bottom beam of the container (not shown) through a flexible cable (not shown), as previously described. The keeper pins 93 may be engaged by latches like the latches 71 to effect lifting and lowering of the container in the manner previously described.

In carrying out the form of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 6, assuming the support beams 18 are pivoted about one of the posts 16 to extend parallel to a car, as shown on the right-hand side of FIG. 2, low-height containers 11 may be lifted onto the car by the saddle 57 and registered with the domes 13,13. When the containers are located and registered with said domes, the beams 18 may be pivoted about the axes of one of the guide shafts 19, to extend transversely of the car over a low-height container, and may be held in position'on the tops of the columns 16 by placing the opposite guide shaft 19 through the beam and locking the guide shaft thereto. The lower height container is thus locked in position on the car but is free to move vertically a limited amount determined by the spacing between the underside of the beam and containers, so jarring caused by travel of the car over switches or crossovers or rough track, and twisting of the car, will not be transmitted directly to the lower container.

The saddle 57 may then lift the container 12 onto the beams 18 and locate the container on said beams by the domes 23. The top container 12 may then be locked to said domes by the rods 30 slidably mounted in the container and adapted to extend through the associated retainer blocks 26 and domes 23, when the container is centered on the beams 18. The containers 12 are thus held from endwise and sidewise shifting movement with respect to the car by the retainer blocks 26 and locking pins 30, but may give up and down as the car goes over crossovers, switches, or rough track or as the frame of the car may twist when traveling along irregular track. The posts 16 and guide shafts 19 thus accommodate up and down movement of the containers 12 relative to the deck of the car and are long enough to retain the container to the car over all practical operating conditions.

In the form of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 7 to 10 inclusive, the flatcar may support a series of stacked containers 12 or may support a series of standard-height containers of various lengths. In carrying out this form of the invention, the containers may be lifted onto the car by a saddle 57 connected to a crane or gantry and locked to the container to lift or lower the container in the manner previously described. Two 40- foot containers may be placed on the deck of the car one after the other in aligned relation with respect to each-other, and located by the domes 45 and locked in position by the locking pins.

Where it is desired to mount one container on top of the other, a lower container having locating domes 37 on the top thereof, as previously described, may be first located in position on the deck 10 by the domes 45. An upper container may be placed on top of the lower container and located in position by the domes 37 carried directly within the sidewalls of the lower container, and spring biased into position to accommodate a limited weaving and twisting of the car as well as the jouncing of the car, without transmitting the weaving and twisting and jarring forces to the upper container.

Thus stacked containers may be carried on the deck of a car and the lower container may act as a guide and retaining means for the upper container, and the two containers may be free for limited relative movement with respect to the deck of the car and with respect to each other, to free the two containers from the twisting and jouncing forces of the car, and to thereby avoid deterioration and crystallization of the frame structures of the containers.

While I have herein shown and described one form in which the invention may be embodied, it should be understood that various variations and modifications in the invention may be attained without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts thereof.

lclaim:

1. In a locating and locking apparatus for locating and locking freight containers to flatcars, and in combination with a flatcar having a flat deck,

a series of hollow posts on said deck at spaced intervals therealong,

"guide shafts guided in said posts for relatively free vertical movement with respect thereto, and means carried by said guide shafts adapted to have locking cooperation with the freight container, holding the container from endwise and sidewise movement and accommodating limited up and down movement of the container about opposite ends and sides thereof, to compensate for weaving and jouncing of the freight car.

2. A locating and locking apparatus in accordance with claim 1,

wherein the posts project above the deck of the flatc-ar,

wherein the means carried by the guide shafts comprises a transverse beam carried by each pair of transversely aligned guide shafts for vertical movement with respect thereto, and

wherein the locating and locking devices are in the form of domes carried by said transverse beams adjacent the transverse centers thereof.

3. The locating and locking apparatus of claim 2,

wherein springs seated in said posts bias said guide shafts upwardly with respect to said posts, and

wherein the transverse beams carried by transversely aligned guide shafts extend over the deck of the vehicle and the container thereon.

4. The lifting and locating apparatus of claim 3,

wherein the shafts are removable from said beams to accommodate pivoting of said beams into aligned relation with respect to the sides of the car and thereby accommodate the loading of low-height containers on the car and the loading of other containers on top of said beams.

5. A locating and locking apparatus in accordance with claim 1,

wherein locating domes are spaced along the centerline of the deck of the car and project thereabove for locating and locking first containers to the deck of the car,

wherein the posts project above the deck of the car along each side thereof,

wherein guide shafts are carried by said posts,

wherein springs bias said shafts upwardly relative to said posts,

wherein transverse beams are carried by said guide shafts for vertical movement therewith,

wherein the locating and locking devices are in the form 0 domes carried by said beams and projecting upwardly of the tops of said beams, and wherein at least one of said guide shafts for each beam 15 removable from its post and beam, to accommodate pivoting of the beam into aligned relation with respect to the sides of the car and to accommodate the loading of low-height containers thereon. 6. A lifting and locating apparatus in accordance with claim 5,

wherein the transverse beams retain the low-height containers to the domes spaced along the center of the deck of the car, and wherein locking pins guided in the containers mounted on said beams are provided to lock the domes on said beams to the containers. 7. A lifting and locking apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein the hollow posts project beneath the deck of the car, and 1 wherein the locating and locking devices are domes mounted on said guide shafts for vertical movement with respect to said hollow posts. 8. A lifting and locating apparatus in accordance with claim wherein springs are seated in said posts and bias said guide shafts upwardly therealong, wherein the locating and locking domes are mounted on said guide shafts, and wherein locking means guided in the containers are pro vided to selectively lock the containers to said domes. 

1. In a locating and locking apparatus for locating and locking freight containers to flatcars, and in combination with a flatcar having a flat deck, a series of hollow posts on said deck at spaced intervals therealong, guide shafts guided in said posts for relatively free vertical movement with respect thereto, and means carried by said guide shafts adapted to have locking cooperation with the freight container, holding the container from endwise and sidewise movement and accommodating limited up and down movement of the container about opposite ends and sides thereof, to compensate for weaving and jouncing of the freight car.
 2. A locating and locking apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the posts project above the deck of the flatcar, wherein the means carried by the guide shafts comprises a transverse beam carried by each pair of transversely aligned guide shafts for vertical movement with respect thereto, and wherein the locating and locking devices are in the form of domes carried by said transverse beams adjacent the transverse centers thereof.
 3. The locating and locking apparatus of claim 2, wherein springs seated in said posts bias said guide shafts upwardly with respect to said posts, and wherein the transverse beams carried by transversely aligned guide shafts extend over the deck of the vehicle and the container thereon.
 4. The lifting and locating apparatus of claim 3, wherein the shafts are removable from said beams to accommodate pivoting of said beams into aligned relation with respect to the sides of the car and thereby accommodate the loading of low-height containers on the car and the loading of other containers on top of said beams.
 5. A locating and locking apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein locating domes are spaced along the centerline of the deck of the car and project thereabove for locating and locking first containers to the deck of the car, wherein the posts project above the deck of the car along each side thereof, wherein guide shafts are carried by said posts, wherein springs bias said shafts upwardly relative to said posts, wherein transverse beams are carried by said guide shafts for vertical movement therewith, wherein the locating and locking devices are in the form of domes carried by said beams and projecting upwardly of the tops of said beams, and wherein at least one of said guide shafts for each beam is removable from its post and beam, to accommodate pivoting of the beam into aligned relation with respect to the sides of the car and to accommodate the loading of low-height containers thereon.
 6. A lifting and locating apparatus in accordance with claim 5, wherein the transverse beams retain the low-height containers to the domes spaced along the center of the deck of the car, and wherein locking pins guided in the containers mounted on said beams are provided to lock the domes on said beams to the containers.
 7. A lifting and locking apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the hollow posts project beneath the deck of the car, and wherein the locating and locking devices are domes mounted on said guide shafts for vertical movement with respect to said hollow posts.
 8. A lifting and locating apparatus in accordance with claim 7, wherein springs are seated in said posts and bias said guide shafts upwardly therealong, wherein the locating and locking domes are mounted on said guide shafts, and wherein locking means guided in the containers are provided to selectively lock the containers to said domes. 